Newcomers to Lake Eerie

Darkness moved into blurred shapes, twisting and moving more smoothly than any human. Sometimes, one of these shapes would become clearer and move closer and closer until it faded back into the grey shadows and out of focus. Slowly, awareness crept in, arranging the shapes differently, occaisionally moving them around as if unsure. Suddenly pain struck like a knife out of the darkness swarming the vision with a scarred crimson hue. The colour flooded every corner, every cell until it was everywhere. Then slowly, gradually, it faded into pure, utter black ...

She woke up screaming yet making no sound. Every part of her body ached, from chocolate-coloured nose to fuzzy white tail. She remembered the pain, if nothing else before that moment. She struggled to calm herself and assess the situation. Carefully raising her head, she saw that she had been placed in a glass tube. Beyond the smooth material were several other tubes with Pokemon in them; a Pikachu slept quietly on the far side, Vulpix pawed restlessly in the case next to her and, turning around, she spottted another Frost like herself. As if sensing her gaze, it turned curiously and for a few moments, they stared at each other intently before she looked away. Suddenly she heard a voice in her mind.
*Rage* it whispered.
*Rage?* she thought back. *Is that my name?*
*Maybe it is, maybe it isn't,* the voice replied silently.
*What are you?*
*I am a Frost. You are also a Frost. You are in the glass tube next to me.*
Startled, she looked up at the Pokemon across from her. It was still staring intently at her, it's small, ebony eyes shiny.
*How come you can talk without making a sound?*
It was silent for a moment. *I have learned much since I woke up,* it said at last. *Those humans over there, they have been experimenting on us. They have given us powers. Powers that normal Pokemon should not have. Sentience for one, the ability to think. I have developed psychic powers. What is your ability?*
*... I don't know,* she said.
*Try using them.*
She focused all of her mental energy, willing something to happen, anything.
*Don't force yourself,* the Frost continued, telepathically. *Perhaps you will get your powers later.*
She nodded, a very human gesture. *Are you planning to get out of here?*
*Yes. But before I tell you about our plan, perhaps I should introduce the others.*
She turned around in time to see a tiny golden ball of light appear infront of the Pikachu's nose. It prodded the sleeping Pokemon a few times until it finally woke. It sat up, yawned, stretched and looked around.
*This is Storm,* the Eevee introduced. *And the Vulpix is Autumn. I am called Arch.*
The Pikachu and the Vulpix both nodded.
*I ... I ...* she stuttered. *I am Rage.*
Storm nodded again. *Welcome Rage. What is your power?*
*She doesn't know yet,* Arch put in. *Remember how long it took to find your ability?*
*Yes, I remember,* Storm sighed. *Anyway, I think it's time we should get out of here.*
And before anyone could object, Storm's normally black eyes turned pure white. In his mind, the PIkachu was calling out to Mother Nature, asking for the control over the weather which he could now summon. Suddenly, he could feel the surging power as she granted it to him and the lightning he needed was in his control. He smashed the electrical bolt at a horizontal angle so that it struck all four of the glass tubes at once, smashing through the glass so that in moments, the ground of the lab was literally covered with glass shards which glittered like crystal in the artificial lighting. The young scientists at the end of the room turned around abruptly and were obviously shocked to find there test subjects out of their glass cells and ready for battle.
'Oh my, someone help me clean this up!' a woman hurried forward, stepping gingerly over the glass. She picked up Autumn, who'd bounded down from her now useless case. 'You'll hurt your feet, darling. Be careful!'
Despite what she'd seen so far, Rage was still shocked. She'd heard nothing good about these scientists and the last thing she expected from them was for one to pick up a Pokemon to stop it from cutting its feet on glass. Autumn growled audibly and with a fast swipe of her paw, scratched the woman on the cheek, leaving rather small slashes which began to bleed almost immediately. The woman flinched and her grip around the Vulpix loosened enough for the fox to jump down and away. She landed a few metres away from all of the equipment, the computers, the chemicals, everything. Eyes flashing almost evily, Autumn, reared back and jerked forward, a powerful blast of flame sprouting from her open jaws in the shape of a five point star, like a pentagram without the circle around it. The streaking fireball seared through the metal and glass as if it wasn't there and struck the far wall, exploding in a mass of beautiful fireworks. Rage watched the colours intently, the bright crimson, gold and flaming orange was more beautiful then anything she ever remembered, which wasn't much. She was paying so much attention to it that she didn't even notice the others were about to leave without her until Arch called out telepathically again.
*Rage!* he snapped, almost angrily. *We must go!* She bounded down from her seat in the destroyed tube to join her new friends. They slipped through a gap in a wall of the ruined lab to the outside.
*Where are we going?* she asked as they scampered away into the green contryside.
'You don't need to speak telepathically any more,' Storm said, speaking perfect English.
Despite herself, Rage tripped in shock and tumbled head over heels down the hill. Arch laughed as she came to a stop in the tiny valley at the bottom, splashing herself into the river which trickled gently through it.
'We ... we can speak human talk?' she asked, feeling the words roll around her mouth. She knew that she would never be able to get used to it. At least, not for a while.
Again, Arch laughed. 'It's called English,' he said. 'We can only talk telepathically if I open up a channel up. It takes a reasonable amount of energy so I won't do it unless it's absolutely necessary. It's also very hard to express emotions when you talk with your mind.'
'I guess so,' Rage pondered. It seemed to her that already, English was becoming easier. 'Anyway, where ARE we going now?'
'We follow the river, I guess,' Autumn bounded along happily, avoiding the water and the mud at its edge.
'Maybe it leads to the sea,' Arch suggested, following the Vulpix in single file. Storm brought up the rear.
'Or a lake perhaps,' Rage suggested.
'I think I can see something!' Autumn reported from in front. 'It's big ... and it's really blue ... looks ...' she shuddered suddenly '... like water.'
Rage remembered that being weak against the liquid, most fire Pokemon hated it. 'Don't worry. You'll be alright.'
'What if I fall in?' Autumn asked anxiously.
'I'll save you,' Storm said heartily. 'I don't mind water. In fact, it's very nice to swim in, when it's hot.'
'Yes indeed,' Arch said, his tongue hanging out. 'Like today.'
'Look!' Rage sat up on her hind legs and pointed with a paw. 'I was right! It's a lake!'
It was indeed. The sparkling aqua waters rolled onto the pebbly shore lazily, leaving white foam which slowly disolved into nothingness. The lake was surrounded by trees and soft grass, making it look like an oasis in the middle of a desert of dried-out bushes and dead scrub. Without thinking, Rage leapt forward and was running towards the lake before the others could stop her. Cheering playfully, the trio followed, running as fast as their various paws could go. She reached there first and jumped into the water, making a huge splash which sent crystal droplets of water into the air, shining as they reflected the light of the sun. Storm and Arch followed but Autumn skidded to a stop, inches from the wet pebbles on the shore. While the others played happily in the water, the fire fox looked around for the first time. Nidorans looked curiously at them, Eevees shrunk back and a Golduck looked suspiciously at the Vulpix from the safe vicinity of a cave.
'Who are you?' a Nidoran female demanded.
'We're ... Pokemon,' Autumn replied, feeling stupid.
'This is a Pokemon sanctuary,' a Pidgey told her. 'You're welcome to stay if you like.'
The Vulpix turned her head slightly, to watch the others still playing in the water.
'We can live here,' she said quietly.